Coco Gauff Faces Onslaught of Racist Abuse During China Open

Image Credit: Rick Munroe via Wikimedia Commons

Following her victory over recent US Open junior champion Sun Xinran in the third round of the China Open, Coco Gauff was subjected to a wave of racist messages after an incident in the match that occurred with Sun leading 5-4 in the first set.

Serving to stay in the first set, Gauff raised her hand to stop a rally, complaining about a side panel that was flickering. As a result, the point was replayed, with Gauff winning it and eventually the set. Soon after the match, accusations flooded in, suggesting Gauff had used the panel as an excuse to stop the point after hitting a poor volley.

Taking to X, Gauff revealed the amount of racist messages she had received, remarking that fans “can dislike me or disagree about what happened without being racist”. Two days later, in Gauff’s next match against Belgium’s Elise Mertens, she committed 34 unforced errors as well as eight double faults, en route to losing the match. After the match, the 22-year-old conceded the abuse she had faced had been draining.

In speaking out against this abuse, the American has generated attention – the United Nations released a statement condemning the racism Gauff has received. Yet, this is far from an isolated case. In 2025, 12,000 abusive posts targeted female tennis players, highlighting that abuse towards players via social media platforms is a serious and recurring issue.

British player Katie Boulter shed light on the issue in an interview with BBC Sport back in June 2025, revealing she had received death threats, particularly from those who had lost money betting on her matches. In sharing her experience, Boulter drew attention to the levels of abuse that female tennis players face.

Progress has, to an extent, been made. The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) reported in July 2026 that 66% of abusive posts or comments had been removed and that 89% of accounts responsible for abuse in 2024 did not reappear in 2025. The recent ordeal that Coco Gauff has had to face is a sign, however, that online abuse remains a significant problem.